1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to network processor devices, and more specifically to an improved method for defining and controlling the overall behavior of a network processor.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In today""s networked world, bandwidth is a critical resource. Increasing network traffic, driven by the Internet and other emerging applications, is straining the capacity of network infrastructures. To keep pace, organizations are looking for better technologies and methodologies to support and manage traffic growth and the convergence of voice with data.
Today""s dramatic increase in network traffic can be attributed to the popularity of the Internet, a growing need for remote access to information, and emerging applications. The Internet alone, with its explosive growth in e-commerce, has placed a sometimes insupportable load on network backbones. It is also the single most important cause of increased data traffic volumes that exceed voice traffic for the first time. The growing demands of remote access applications, including e-mail, database access, and file transfer, are further straining networks.
The convergence of voice and data will play a large role in defining tomorrow""s network environment. Currently, the transmission of data over Internet protocol (IP) networks is free. Because voice communications will naturally follow the path of lowest cost, voice will inevitably converge with data. Technologies such as Voice over IP (VoIP), Voice over ATM (VoATM), and Voice over Frame Relay (VoFR) are cost-effective alternatives in this changing market. However, to make migration to these technologies possible, the industry has to ensure quality of service (QoS) for voice and determine how to charge for voice transfer over data lines. The Telecommunications Deregulation Act of 1996 further complicates this environment. This legislation will reinforce a symbiotic relationship between the voice protocol of choice, ATM, and the data protocol of choice, IP.
Integrating legacy systems is also a crucial concern for organizations as new products and capabilities become available of lowest cost, voice will inevitably converge with data. Technologies such as Voice over IP (VoIP), Voice over ATM (VoATM), and voice over Frame Relay (VoFR) are cost-effective alternatives in this changing market. However, to make migration to these technologies possible, the industry has to ensure quality of service (QoS) for voice and determine how to charge for voice transfer over data lines. The Telecommunications Deregulations Act of 1996 futher complicates this environment. This legislation will reinforce a symbiotic relationship between the voice protocol of choice, ATM, and the data protocol of choice, IP.
Intergrating legacy systems is also a crucial concern for organizations as new products and capabilities become available. To preserve their investments in existing equipment and software, organizations demand solutions that allow them to migrate to new technologies without disrupting their current operations.
Eliminating network bottlenecks continues to be a top priority for service providers. Routers are often the source of these bottlenecks. However, network congestion in general is often mis-diagnosed as a bandwidth problem and is addressed by seeking higher-bandwidth solutions. Today, manufacturers are recognizing this difficulty. They are turning to network processor technologies to manage bandwidth resources more efficiently and to provide the advanced data services, at wire speed, that are commonly found in routers and network application servers. These services include load balancing, QoS, gateways, fire walls, security, and web caching.
For remote access applications, performance, bandwidth-on-demand, security, and authentication rank as top priorities. The demand for integration of QoS and CoS, integrated voice handling, and more sophisticated security solutions will also shape the designs of future remote access network switches. Further, remote access will have to accommodate an increasing number of physical mediums, such as ISDN, Ti, E1, OC-3 through OC-48, cable, and xDSL modems.
Industry consultants have defined a network processor (herein also mentioned as an xe2x80x9cNPxe2x80x9d) as a programmable communications integrated circuit capable of performing one or more of the following functions:
Packet classification xe2x80x94identifying a packet based on known characteristics, such as address or protocol;
Packet modification xe2x80x94modifying the packet to comply with IP, ATM, or other protocols (for example, updating the time-to-live field in the header for IP);
Queue/policy management xe2x80x94reflects the design strategy for packet queuing, de-queuing, and scheduling of packets for specific applications; and,
Packet forwarding xe2x80x94transmission and receipt of data over the switch fabric and forwarding or routing the packet to the appropriate address.
Although this definition is an accurate description of the basic features of early NPs, the full potential capabilities and benefits of NPs are yet to be realized. Network processors can increase bandwidth and solve latency problems in a broad range of applications by allowing networking tasks previously handled in software to be executed in hardware. In addition, NPs can provide speed improvements through architectures, such as parallel distributed processing and pipeline processing designs. These capabilities can enable efficient search engines, increase throughput, and provide rapid execution of complex tasks.
Network processors are expected to become the fundamental network building block for networks in the same fashion that CPUs are for PCs. Typical capabilities offered by an NP are real-time processing, security, store and forward, switch fabric interface, and IP packet handling and learning capabilities. NPs target ISO layer two through five and are designed to optimize network-specific tasks.
The processor-model NP incorporates multiple general purpose processors and specialized logic. Suppliers are turning to this design to provide scalable, flexible solutions that can accommodate change in a timely and cost-effective fashion. A processor-model NP allows distributed processing at lower levels of integration, providing higher throughput, flexibility and control. Programmability can enable easy migration to new protocols and technologies, without requiring new ASIC designs.
Commensurate with design and implementation of network processor-based devices, are the data structures and methods for defining and controlling the overall behavior of an NP, to which this invention is directed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a system and method providing functionality for enabling a General Purpose Processor (GPP) that is acting as a Control Point processor (CP) in a network environment to define and control the overall behavior of a Network Processor (NP).
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method providing functionality for enabling a General Purpose Processor (GPP) that is acting as a Control Point processor (CP) in a network environment to define and control the overall behavior of a Network Processor (NP) to provide supporting functions to frame-forwarding applications running in an NP.
According to the invention, there is provided a system and method for controlling overall behavior of a network processor device implemented in a network processing environment servicing a communications network. The method includes steps of receiving a guided control frame including one or more control functions for configuring various functional devices within the network processor with device control parameter data; a step of forwarding one or more control functions from a received control frame to a functional device within the network processor to be configured; and, executing the control functions as specified in the control frame. A novel control frame data structure and communications infrastructure is implemented whereby any network processor device operating in a distributed network processing environment may be controlled in accordance with executed control functions and device control parameter data. Functional units in a network processor device particularly targeted for control include hardware Guided Frame Handler (GFH) device, and frame-forwarding applications controlled by a hardware Guided Table Handler (GTH) device.
Advantageously, the system and methodology is capable of handling and processing control frames (guided frame flows) in a variety of possible flows through a typical NP system including guided frame flows on a primary blade; guided frame flows on a secondary blade; and, guided frame flows on multiple blades in a network processing environment.